The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers

THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY

by Oliver Jeffers

Henry is a little boy who loves books. He doesn't read them, however; he eats them. He eats all kinds of books, but red ones are his favourite. The more books he eats, the cleverer he becomes. He wants to become the cleverest person in the world, so he eats three or four books at a time. Eventually, of course, Henry starts to feel ill. What's more, he has been eating books so quickly that the things he has been learning get mixed up.

All sorts of experts tell Henry that he must give up eating books. At first he feels sad, but then he picks up a half-eaten book and starts to read it. He enjoys it so much that he realises he could become the cleverest person in the world by reading book after book. So this is what he does, but every so often he can't resist nibbling the corner of a page.

Oliver Jeffers has created a totally original story in “The Incredible Book Eating Boy”. It is highly imaginative and full of humour that both adults and children will appreciate. The illustration on the title page of Henry with a pile of seven books cramming his wide-open jaw gives a taste of what is to come. Further on, Henry juggles with books and catches one in his mouth. He imagines taking part in a quiz show and being adorned with a huge gold medal for being the smartest person on Earth. It's the stuff of dreams.

The text of “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” looks as though it has come from an old typewriter, and occasionally hand-written words are inserted. While this sounds a little strange, it does in fact suit the eccentric style of the book. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, and sometimes the background is a little dark. Most pages have only a small amount of text, so young children who do not have a huge attention span will not get bored. The adult readers and slightly older children, however, will get quite a bit of amusement from the little extras that Jeffers has included. When Henry is eating so many books that information in his brain is getting confused, for example, Jeffers gives the example 2 + 6 = elephant.

Oliver Jeffers' illustrations for “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” are unusual to say the least. Backgrounds are predominantly beige or brown and look as though they have been painted on pages of old notebooks. Sometimes ruled lines and squares are visible. Most of the characters are illustrated in a much more colourful way than the backgrounds, so the overall effect is not too dismal. Apart from the colour, however, the drawings are quirky and amusing. Jeffers shows Henry with letters getting mixed up inside his brain, and then presents a picture of him with a bulging tummy crammed full of books. In two of the illustrations, enormous books with faces, arms and legs confront Henry; one of them chases him and threatens to eat him. The final mention that Henry still nibbles pages from time to time is brought home by the fact that the bottom corner of the last page actually has a piece missing from it.

While “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” may not be the ideal choice for young children who are obsessed with princesses or fairies, its originality and humour will appeal to many listeners and readers. As a read-aloud picture book, three and a half might be a suitable starting age. For independent reading, children up to at least eight years of age are likely to enjoy the story as it is not a childish one. Jeffers has come up with a book that young readers are sure to remember and want to read to their own children when they grow up. It is definitely worth borrowing a copy from the library, but the chances are most families will want a copy of their own to keep.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

by Oliver Jeffers

Paperback, 32 pages

Harper Collins Children's Books, 2009

ISBN 9780007182312

Clown, by Quentin Blake

'Clown' is a picture book – that and only that, as it consists solely of pictures without text. It tells the story of a clown that is dumped in a dustbin along with other unwanted toys. Managing to escape, he is befriended by a little girl, but her mother is less than impressed when she takes him home. She throws him out of the window and he is chased by a dog. Things seem to be going from bad to worse when the dog's thug of an owner tosses him right up into the air. He is in luck, however, as he flies through the window of a poverty-stricken family. After helping the daughter with the chores, he takes her out with her baby brother in a pram to the dustbin where they retrieve the rest of the toys.

I first came to love the illustrations of Quentin Blake through the novels of Roald Dahl that my sons read when they were growing up. I have enjoyed some of his illustrated stories such as 'Mister Magnolia' and 'Mrs Armitage, Queen of the Road', but 'Clown' is the first book of his I have come across that is composed purely of illustrations. Blake has a sketchy, exaggerated style of drawing that may not be to everyone's cup of tea but usually conveys more than enough humour to make it appealing.

In 'Clown', the illustrations are all in full colour; sometimes they fill an entire page with a border, and sometimes they are smaller sketches showing a sequence of events across the page. Blake uses a wide variety of hues in his watercolours, yet they have a subtlety about them. There is, however, one gorgeous full-page picture where the clown, clutching flowers, follows the girl pushing the pram filled with toys and her baby brother. The sky is a shocking pink behind the grey silhouettes of tower blocks and a church spire. The baby, with a wide smile, leans forward in anticipation while the girl is turning back to make sure the clown is keeping up with her. Back home, Blake shows the toys all lined up on the bed; in the same room the table is laid and potatoes are being served in a pan. The iron bedstead, bare light bulb and peeling paint tell us this is a struggling family, yet mum is full of smiles and kisses when she comes home. It is a far cry from the home of the poor little rich girl who rescued the clown earlier; there the room was crammed with ornaments, mirrors and fancy furniture, but there was no appreciation of the clown. Neither did mum seem to care about her daughter's feelings.

'Clown' is a book that could be shared by an adult and a young child in much the same way as a picture book that includes text. If the child is very young, the adult could tell the story as they turn the pages, but a slightly older child could be encouraged to describe what is happening in the illustrations. This would be an excellent way of developing narrative skills, or even basic verbal expression. On the other hand, children that are not yet able to read could enjoy this book alone, following the story without feeling they are missing out on something because they cannot decipher a text.

My own experience of 'Clown' is with pre-school children, but I can see the book being used with children of primary-school age who could write their own text to accompany the pictures. I don't think they would find it too childish; in fact the humour would no doubt attract their interest. It could be an ideal resource for writing character descriptions and dialogue as well as narrative.

'Clown' won the International Bologna Ragazzi Award in 1996. It is not hard to see why. I would recommend it for children of three up to six or seven, older if is used as an inspiration for creative writing.

Clown

by Quentin Blake

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox, 1998

ISBN 9780099493617

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.02)

If I were You, by Richard Hamilton and Babette Cole

Dad is tucking Daisy up in bed – well actually, he's in bed too and yawning. He says to her, 'If I were you, I'd snuggle down and go to sleep.' Daisy, who looks wide awake, takes this literally and they begin to talk about what would happen if Dad were Daisy and Daisy were Dad.

Daisy would read Dad a bedtime story, and Dad would wake up first in the morning and go and bounce on Daisy's bed. Daisy would dress Dad in a pink tutu and give him porridge for breakfast while she had chocolate fromage frais. Dad would have a lazy time watching television and playing while Daisy did the housework. This sounds good to Dad, but he's not sure about being taken for a walk in a pushchair wearing that pink tutu – what on earth would the neighbours think?

Dad and Daisy would go to the park, but Daisy realises she wouldn't be strong enough to give Dad a piggyback. Dad could have a great time having tea with his friends and playing games, after which Daisy would have to give him a bath. The whole story comes full circle when Daisy says she would tuck Dad up in bed and give him a big kiss. Dad thinks that a day without household chores would be fantastic, but Daisy of course realises that she is better off being herself. After all this thinking, Daisy finally drifts off to sleep and Dad can creep off and relax.

Richard Hamilton has created a fascinating tale based on the reversal of roles in 'If I were you.' It is an ideal opportunity for plenty of humour, especially when they consider the idea of Dad wearing a ballet tutu. There is no mention of Mum in the story except when Daisy suggests Dad could have tea with his friends. Mum is there with Baby, so it seems that in this family Dad gets to do all the chores and look after Daisy most of the time. Dad and Daisy do seem to have a loving and friendly relationship. Hamilton uses rhyming couplets in each situation that the pair imagine; this is an ideal way to develop a young child's feel for rhyme and love of language.

Babette Cole's illustrations make a huge contribution to this picture book. She knows exactly how to portray the humour in each situation, showing Dad with a few spiky hairs on his legs and a six-o'clock shadow when he wears the pink tutu. There are a couple of pages showing Daisy and Dad at the zoo, running along with monkeys in one of them. Here Dad, still in the tutu, clasps a bunch of colourful balloons while Daisy holds an ice cream out to him. When they are playing musical chairs after tea, we see Daisy's blue kangaroo and a pig joining in. Further down the page Dad (in his tutu, of course) gets down on all fours, Daisy balances on his back and they chase after the three bears. Dad has fun spitting out a jet of water while he's having his bath, but doesn't seem to appreciate Daisy shampooing his hair. One of the bears joins him in the bath whereas the cat dashes off at the sight of all the bubbles.

The text is set in quite a large font, and there aren't usually more than two or three lines per page. It isn't always in straight lines, however; sometimes it curves up and down, or individual words appear to jump around when Dad is bouncing on Daisy's bed. Single words are sometimes set in a larger font for emphasis. The text is always printed on a light-coloured background, so there will not be any problems deciphering it. This is definitely a read-aloud book rather than one for a child learning to read. I can imagine that a child of about seven who is a confident reader might enjoy reading it to a younger brother and sister, especially since there is so much humour throughout the book.

I have read this aloud to a group to children aged three and a half to four, who were about the right age to follow the idea of role reversal and appreciate the humour. I'm not sure that two-year-olds would quite understand the concept of the book, but they might still get some fun out of the illustrations.

Richard Hamilton has come up with an original idea for a picture book here, and I cannot think of anyone who would have provided more appropriate illustrations than Babette Cole. This is a book that can be enjoyed by the adult reading aloud as well as the child being read too. I am sure that it will appeal to many families, and I certainly recommend it.

If I Were You

Richard Hamilton (author)

Babette Cole (illustrator)

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 9780747587576

Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road - Quentin Blake

I first became acquainted with Quentin Blake through his quirky illustrations for Roald Dahl's novels and books of verse when my children were growing up. Dahl's stories are often hilarious in themselves, but Blake always seemed to capture the essence of Dahl's characters in his drawings and add even more to the humour.

Quentin Blake has more recently illustrated stories he has written himself that are wonderful to read and enjoy. Most of them centre on a particular, sometimes eccentric, character. 'Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road', for example, is a bespectacled, grey-haired lady whom we first meet in striped pyjamas and a brown dressing-gown, sitting opposite her smiley dog at the breakfast table. Who would imagine that she later teams up with a Hell's-Angel-style group of motorcyclists who dress her up in a leather jacket and studded collar? This is the fantastical reality of Quentin Blake's world.

Mrs Armitage's outing begins when her Uncle Cosmo hands his old crock of a car to her as he now has a new motorcycle. She is not impressed with it but nevertheless sits Breakspear, her dog, in the back and sets off. Various mishaps occur that involve parts of the car falling off, but Mrs Armitage is not fazed; she throws them on the scrapheap each time and continues her journey, eventually arriving in the countryside. Things reach the point where the car has lost all its doors, as well as the bonnet and various smaller parts.

By coincidence she then encounters Uncle Cosmo and his friends coming the other way on their motorbikes. They are so impressed by Mrs Armitage's strange-looking 'machine' that they invite her to go with them to the Crazy Duck Cafe for billiards and banana fizz. This, then, is how Mrs Armitage becomes Queen of the Road.

The illustrations obviously count for a great deal in any book by Quentin Blake. We see poor Mrs Armitage with a succession of glum faces as she disposes of various car parts on the scrap heap, but the builders watching her throw the roof away seem pretty amused. She looks so much happier when she meets Uncle Cosmo and his gang, a motley crew of bearded, booted or in one case big-busted bikers. Breakspear looks delighted as he sits behind Mrs Armitage and they speed off down the country road, followed by the rest of the gang, all beaming amongst clouds of exhaust fumes.

There is a lot of fun with onomatopoiea in this book, with Blake inventing words such as beoing and kerrunch when the car comes to grief. There are generally about three or four lines of text per page in a large font on a white background, so reading is made easy. I have heard of this book appealing to children as young as three and as old as nine, by which age of course they should be able to read it themselves.

'Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road' is a wonderful read-aloud book, but may not appeal to children much younger than four-years-old. There are apparently at least two other books in Blake's series about Mrs Armitage, 'Mrs Armitage on Wheels' and 'Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave'. I shall definitely be looking out for these. Quentin Blake's books are a lot of fun to read, not least because his drawings add so much to the humour of the story.

Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road

by Quentin Blake

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox, 2004

ISBN 0099434245

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

Not Now Bernard - David McKee

Masquerading as a children's book, Not Now Bernard might perhaps be seen by many as one for the parents who read it aloud as a bedtime story to their little babes. The front cover acts as an introduction to the story, setting the scene. We see a small boy whom we presume to be Bernard, gazing wide eyed at what is obviously a monster, and a fearsome one at that, baring his teeth from on top of a mound. The monster is about as broad as he is tall and is almost all face, with short limbs attached.

Opening the cover, we see the monster again, but this time he has his index finger on his mouth and looks as though he thinks he has done something wrong. On the title page we see a full-figure picture of Bernard, wide eyed again and with a minute dot for a mouth. Turn the page, and Bernard is saying hello to his Dad, pictured here banging a nail into a wall. Bernard is standing behind him, and Dad doesn't turn round but merely replies 'Not now, Bernard.' At the same time he hits his finger with the hammer and appears to cry out in pain. A similar episode occurs with Bernard's Mum on the next two pages; she is busy in the kitchen and ignores Bernard's hello just like Dad did. Bernard seems to be seeking attention when he persists by telling Mum that there is a monster in the garden that's going to eat him. Mum obviously thinks this is a tall story and continues to give the standard 'Not now, Bernard' as a reply.

Having had no joy with his parents, Bernard decides to go into the garden and say hello to the monster. Perhaps it will take some notice of Bernard. This is what he in fact does, but not in the way Bernard had hoped. He eats Bernard up, and we see the monster left holding just one shoe. The monster then decides to go indoors, and lets out an almighty 'ROAR' behind Bernard's mother as she is painting a wall. Thinking once again that it is just Bernard, she gives the usual reply 'Not now, Bernard.' The monster then finds Dad sitting in an armchair, hidden behind the newspaper, and on biting Dad's foot, the reply is merely repeated, as Dad doesn't actually see what is happening. When Mum puts Bernard's dinner on a table in front of the television, she calls her son but doesn't wait to see if he comes to eat. The monster eats the dinner and continues by amusing himself with a comic and the television. After a while, Mum calls to Bernard, telling him that he should go to bed and that she has taken his milk upstairs. We see the monster on his way up with teddy in tow, and then settled in bed with teddy. At this point he objects, 'But I'm a monster.' Mum is in the doorway, but rather than take a look or say goodnight, she switches off the light and for one final time says, 'Not now, Bernard.'

Do we interpret this as a message concerning the terrible consequences for parents who persistently ignore their children and never spend any time with them? Or do we assume that everything was a figment of Bernard's imagination because of his boredom? Did he convincingly take on the role of a monster, roaring, biting, and breaking one of his toys? Such deep questions. Perhaps the most interesting point is that young children don't seem to find this story frightening; they usually love it and have a great laugh over it. This could be partly because of the illustrations. They fill most of the page, and the monster looks rather comical just after he has supposedly eaten Bernard: his tongue hangs out as he holds up a shoe. He holds up a dinner plate and lets the food trickle into his mouth; when he watches television, he stands on top of the set (before the flat-screen era) and peers down from above. Colours and patterns are bright and cheerful, giving a definite friendly feel.

As well as being a popular bedtime story, this is an excellent reading book for children between the ages of four and a half and seven. It fits the National Literary Scheme's requirements in England and Wales of being a story with a familiar setting, a story with patterned language, and a story by a significant children's author. For these reasons there is also an accompanying teachers' resource book available. The fact that phrases such as 'Not now, Bernard,' are repeated would of course make it easy for very young readers to recognise words that appear every now and again throughout the book. There are never more than fourteen words on a page, and in fact the word count on most pages is only about six.

Not Now, Bernard has delighted children for more than twenty years now; some that heard or read the first edition are now nostalgically reading it to their own children. I would definitely recommend it either for reading aloud or for early independent reading. It is attractive both visually and in terms of a story that captures the imagination of a child who can identify with Bernard's boredom and loneliness.

Not Now Bernard

by David McKee

Red Fox, 1984

Paperback, 26 pages

ISBN 0099240505

Price £4.99

That Rabbit belongs to Emily Brown

Emily Brown loves her grey rabbit, Stanley, to bits, even though he is old. Together they have adventures around the house and garden, imagining that they are going up into space, crossing the Sahara on a motorbike, climbing through the Amazonian rainforest or diving off the Barrier Reef.

At the start of 'The Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown' life seems wonderful until the Queen notices Stanley and decides she wants him for herself. She sends envoy after envoy: her chief footman, the captain of the army, the admiral of the navy and the wing commander of the air force. Emily is offered a brand new teddy bear and a tempting lists of toys in return for Stanley, but she refuses them all. She becomes even more angry when the envoys refer to Stanley as Bunnywunny. Eventually she pins a large notice on her back gate stating in no uncertain terms that Stanley is not for sale and that his name is not Bunnywunny.

This seems to work for a few months, but unfortunately the Queen has not given up. Eventually she send her special commandos in the middle of the night to steal Stanley. Emily is distraught when she wakes up, and she marches up to the palace to confront the Queen.

The Queen has done unforgiveable things to Stanley and is in tears. Poor Stanley has been through the wash, stuffed, and stitched up. He just isn't right any more. The Queen begs Emily for help. Emily says she will take Stanley home, and she tells the Queen to play with the brand new golden teddy, take him to bed at night, hold him very tight and have lots of adventures.

Two years go by until Emily and Stanley hear from the Queen again. One day they are exploring the Milky Way when they hear a knock on the door. This time it's the postman with a letter from the Queen that simply says 'Thank you'. At the top, in the middle of the royal crest, is a portrait of the Queen and her golden teddy, both smiling.

It is not hard to see why 'That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown' was a Nestle Book Prize Gold Award Winner. Cression Cowell has given us an original story chock full of imaginative adventures and a brave little heroine who defends her beloved stuffed toy to the end. What's more, she knows much more about playing with toys than the 'silly naughty Queen'. This is a story that has plenty in its variety of situations and characters to appeal to both boys and girls alike.

Neal Layton's accompanying illustrations have a comparable amount of originality. Layton combines photo-montage with his colourful drawings to create the environments where Emily and Stanley have their imaginary adventures. There is plenty of scope here, from sea life and treasure chests at the bottom of the ocean to toucans and monkeys in the canopy of the rainforest. Such pictures could inspire plenty of discussions and provide opportunities for counting or spotting little details.

The text is in a large, clear font and almost always on a light background. Sometimes there are a few words in a larger font than the rest or in capitals. Speech bubbles add variety on several pages. The vocabulary Cression Cowell uses is rich and laced with humour. There is a certain amount of repetition, with phrases such as 'there was a Rat-a-tat-tat! at the garden door' or 'And his name isn't Bunnywunny. It's Stanley' occurring each time an envoy visits Emily. Children listening to the story are likely to be able to join in with these, as well as items in the list of toys such as the ten talking dolls that say 'Mama Mama'. A confident young reader might enjoy the challenge of this story, and the repeated phrases will give them encouragement along the way.

This is a wonderful book to read aloud, as it gives the reader the opportunity to take on several very different types of voice: Emily's, the captain of the army's, the Queen's, as well as those of the other envoys. I have also used it as the basis for a drama session with a group of bright four-year-olds. They loved acting it out and pretending to be an admiral or a wing commander. I can imagine it would work equally well with a group of five- or six-year-olds.

As there is quite a bit of text and not the simplest vocabulary, I would say that this is a read-aloud book for children of three-years-old and up. Both the story and the characters are wonderful, and I can't think of any other story book that resembles this one in any way. I borrowed a copy from the library, but 'That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown' would be a book worth having to keep, I'm sure; one that would certainly make an ideal present.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl is the grand master of the children's story. First published in 1970, 'Fantastic Mr Fox' may not have the reknown of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', but it is a tale full of excitement and imagination. After almost forty years, it can still compete with the best of children's literature that is being published today.

Before we even meet Mr Fox, Roald Dahl introduces us to three obnoxious farmers who go by the names of Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Dahl really goes to town with his characterization here. Farmer Boggis keeps chickens and is a prime specimen of obesity because he eats three whole chickens along with dumplings for breakfast, lunch and supper every day. Farmer Bunce, on the other hand, has thousands of ducks and geese. He is a pot-bellied dwarf whose diet consists of doughnuts stuffed with goose liver paste. He seems to persist with this regime even though he has a stomach ache and a bad temper because of it. Lastly, there is Farmer Bean who keeps turkeys and has an apple orchard. No, he doesn't eat turkeys: he merely brews cider from his apples and drinks it by the gallon. He is extremely thin but very clever. These three farmers are so despicable that the local children chant a rhyme about their meanness when they see them. It is actually quite surprising that they manage to co-operate with each other, given their unpleasantness.

Co-operate they must, however, if they are to have any chance at all of outwitting Fantastic Mr Fox. Mr Fox has a wife and four little foxes to feed, and every evening he asks Mrs Fox whether she would like a chicken, a duck, a goose or a turkey. He then steals off to the appropriate farm and brings back the chosen bird. He is a wily creature who approaches the farm with the wind blowing towards him, so he will pick up the scent of a farmer lying in wait with a shotgun and quickly change direction.

Boggis, Bunce and Bean are furious and eventually decide they must hide outside Mr Fox's hole and shoot him as soon as he emerges. The story follows their frustrated attempts to do away with Mr Fox and his family, who always manage to dig further down and evade the farmers. The foxes are horrified when tractors are brought along to dig them out, but Mr Fox comes up with a plan to dig tunnels along to each of the farms and steal enough food and cider for a party. Help is enlisted from other animals, all of whom are invited to a great feast. Even the rabbits come along to enjoy great bunches of carrots.

Foxes are often portrayed as villains in children's stories, 'Chicken Licken' being a good example. In 'Fantastic Mr Fox', however, we find ourselves rooting for the family of foxes in the face of the drastic measures taken by the three loathsome farmers. The story moves along at a fast pace through chapters of about half a dozen pages each, and it's unlikely any child will have the chance to get bored.

Quentin Blake's wonderful illustrations contribute hugely to bringing the story alive. The animals are seen as life-size in comparison to the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. Mr Fox sports a stylish jacket and neck tie while Badger wears a waistcoat. Snouts and eyes are exaggerated, and the animals more often than not have beaming, enthusiastic smiles. The farmers, on the other hand, are grumpy, miserable souls. The illustration of two tractors with their headlights beaming makes them look like two monsters with sets of fangs, ready to gobble up an creature that should get in their way.

'Fantastic Mr Fox' is intended as a read-aloud story for children aged three to seven, or as a read-alone book for those aged nine to twelve. Three might be a little young, especially to listen to the whole story at one sitting. A confident independent reader younger than nine might easily tackle the book, as the text is set in a large font, sentences are short, and of course there are delightful illustrations on almost every page.

This may not be Roald Dahl's most famous children's story, but it is certainly one worth introducing to a young child. They will delight in poking fun at the farmers and enjoy following the thread of the animals working together to outwit them. There is never a dull moment in 'Fantastic Mr Fox'.

Fantastic Mr Fox

by Roald Dahl

Paperback, 96 pages

Puffin, 2007

ISBN 0141322659

Price £4.99 Amazon £3.19

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

It might seem a strange combination, but a bagpiping Cat, a Squirrel with a banjo and a small singing Duck live together, seemingly in harmony, in a little house in a wood. We first see them through the window, have great fun together.

Their diet consists mainly of pumpkin soup – homemade, of course. Each has a particular task in the process: Cat slices the pumpkin, Squirrel stirs in the water and Duck tips in just enough salt. This never changes. There appears to be domestic bliss as they slurp their soup, play their song and cuddle up in bed with a quilt made by a joint effort. But the fact that duck still has his eyes open in bed gives us a clue that there is a current of dissatisfaction beneath the calm surface.

Duck has aspirations to be Head Cook, so one day he gets up early and makes the spoon hanging on the wall fall with his beak – 'KER-PLONK! Down it clattered'. In the bedroom Duck announces that it is his turn to stir the soup. A huge row ensues as the others don't want to change the way they do things. Signs and symbols in the illustration suggest that they are shouting unrepeatable words.

Duck packs his things in a barrow and leaves. Cat and Squirrel are initially angry but sure he will return. Duck, however, doesn't come for breakfast or lunch. Cat watches the door and Squirrel paces the floor until soup-time. The soup they make without Duck is too salty; they're not hungry and tears drip into the soup. The picture on this page shows Squirrel looking at his tearful reflection in his spoon. Realising they should have let Duck stir, they decide to go and look for him.

Searching the scary dark woods, Cat and Squirrel fear for Duck alone with foxes, wolves, witches and bears. They are afraid he fell over a cliff edge, but Squirrel finds nothing when he climbs down a rope to see. Duck, they think, may have found some better friends who allowed him to help – the picture here shows mice and birds queueing up at Duck's well-lit soup kiosk. They head for home, and I can assure you that the story ends happily, except that Duck wants to have a go on the bagpipes after supper...

The text is well broken up with charming little illustrations that I can imagine may appeal more to some young children than the pictures that take up full pages. Most parents will delight in these, I'm sure. The pumpkin, Squirrel and the quilt are all painted in warm, orangey-brown tones that give a cosy feel in contrast to the scenes of the wood where scary creatures and witches threaten the wanderers. It is easy to see why this book won the Kate Greenaway Award for Children's Illustration.

This is definitely a book to be read aloud, probably to children aged three up. It would be a difficult one for a child learning to read, as there is quite a bit of text on some pages along with a few lengthy words such as 'embroidered' and 'bagpiping'. It would, however, be an interesting challenge for a very able child who finds the usual reading-scheme books too easy.

The story of course deals with issues such as taking turns and allowing others to have a go at tasks or activities that appeal to them even if they may not be very skilled at first. It shows how angry we can be when we are selfish, but how sad we feel when we realise how much we have upset someone after they have gone away. Bravery is shown by Cat and Squirrel as they venture through the dark wood, and even more so when Squirrel descends the cliff face. Many lessons there, then, but it is overall a very enjoyable story with a touch of humour to end with.

I think it must be clear by now that I do thoroughly recommend this picture book. I have also used it as a basis for a drama session with three- to four-year-olds; there are only three main roles, but the other children enjoyed pretending to be witches or wolves and making scary noises. It lends itself particularly well to the wintery season and would make an ideal Christmas present. Otherwise, borrow from the library as I did.

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

ISBN 0552545104

£5.99 (£4.49 on Amazon)

Winnie flies again

Having been spellbound by Valerie Thomas's original Winnie the Witch story, I was sure I would enjoy other books in the series just as much; the second one I read was Winnie Flies Again. Hoping that Winnie's beloved cat Wilbur would again feature prominently, and that Korky Paul would provide the illustrations, I was not disappointed on either score.

It is no surprise to find that Winnie travels by broomstick, or that Wilbur accompanies her, sitting on her shoulder. Imagine the freedom, with no traffic lights to tie you down. However, at one time the skies were empty, but of course they eventually become chock full of helicopters, hot-air balloons, aeroplanes and rockets. One day Winnie has a nasty collision with a helicopter, and poor Wilbur loses two of his whiskers. Further accidents ensue: Wilbur's tail is bent by a hang glider, and then he loses a clump of fur as Winnie crashes into the turret of a very tall building. Winnie herself is left hanging from her broomstick by her legs, and she decides that action must be taken.

When Winnie waves her wand, the broomstick is transformed into a bicycle. Pedalling proves to be hard work, and Winnie lands in a pond. She experiments with a skateboard and then a horse, but they both turn out to be equally hazardous. Winnie and Wilbur eventually decide to walk home, but even then Winnie falls down a hole. She decides that a cup of tea and a muffin are in order, not forgetting a saucer of milk for Wilbur of course. Neither of them get what they are after, but Winnie is in fact offered a solution to her problem. If you want to know what it is, you will have to read the book.

The story is full of mishaps, and this has allowed Korky Paul to go to town with his illustrations. If you have never seen Winnie the Witch, you might be surprised by her attire. She has yellow and red striped tights on her spindly legs, ridiculously pointed blue shoes, and a pointed hat decorated with stripes, stars and moons rather than the usual plain black variety. Her nose is long, pointed and red. Splashes of bold colour stream across the page whenever she waves her wand. Many of the illustrations are double spreads, and we sees an aviator, an Indian and a pirate as well as bird's eye views with towering turrets.

It all sounds so unfortunate, but there is plenty of humour here whilst our sympathy goes out to the characters, especially Wilbur, who has a pretty thin time of it. Children love the story as well as the riotous, colourful pictures that go alongside it. You cannot really go wrong reading aloud the Winnie the Witch series of books to children; it certainly doesn't have to be Hallowe'en. I would say that a suitable starting age is probably three, going up to five or six.

This is an ideal book to read aloud, and possible a suitable one for a fairly confident young reader as well. There isn't a huge amount of text on each page, in fact sometimes there are as few as three lines on a double page. The pictures would probably do a lot to encourage a struggling reader to continue to the end of the story.

If you know and love the Winnie the Witch stories, there is a six-in-one collection of them available at £14.99, or as little as £9.89 on Amazon. If you are yet to make the acquaintance of Winnie and Wilbur, this story is available for £4.49 on Amazon. I recommend it without the slightest hesitation.

Winnie Flies Again

by Korky Paul (illustrator) and Valerie Thomas (author)

Oxford University Press

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 0192726463

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)